Editorial: Communities need to get their green act together

Tuesday

Mar 31, 2009 at 12:01 AMMar 31, 2009 at 3:33 PM

Given the sudden flood of money pouring from Washington, local officials can be forgiven their initial doe-eyed reactions to news they were getting substantial green energy grants. But they don’t have a moment to waste in forming their efficiency plans.

Given the sudden flood of money pouring from Washington, local officials can be forgiven their initial doe-eyed reaction to news they were getting substantial green energy grants.

But they don’t have a moment to waste in forming their efficiency plans.

The Obama administration this week unveiled its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, through which it will invest $3.2 billion in energy efficiency and conservation projects.

The state has been given money to dole out to smaller communities. But larger ones, for the first time ever, will be getting their grants directly from the federal government. Three South Shore communities – Quincy, Weymouth and Plymouth – will receive more than $1.8 million.

And it was obvious the news on Thursday caught them off guard.

Click on the image to use map

“We’re still trying to figure out where it’s coming from and what it’s for,” said Lee Hultin, an assistant to Weymouth Mayor Sue Kay.

Officials in Plymouth and Quincy said they too were only just hearing about the grants.

But now that they know, they need to act quickly. The deadline for applications is June 25 and if recipients don’t show significant progress in their projects within 18 months, they will lose the grant money.

Another impetus for putting resources toward development of such projects is that an additional $456 million will be made available for local energy efficiency projects under a separate competitive solicitation to be released at a later date.

Even though larger communities are being targeted directly by the DOE, every community is eligible for money through the state. Residents who don’t see town officials acting on it shouldn’t be shy about pushing the issue. It would be a crime, environmentally and financially, to leave this money on the table.

The paradox in the DOE’s grants is how much of the money will apparently be needed to report progress to the government.

The DOE will require municipalities to report on the number of jobs created or retained, energy saved, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and funds leveraged. Some may conclude that the expenses involved negate the benefits.

The biggest winners will be those who quickly figure out how to be efficient not only with energy use but also with record keeping.

For an interactive map showing what your community is getting, visit www.patriotledger.com/opinions